Вариант 17

You are going to read a text on the life of a famous person. For questions 1-15, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, or С) best fits each gap.

Johnson was an English writer and critic, and one of the most famous literary figures of the 18th century. His best-known work is his ‘Dictionary of the English Language’.

Samuel Johnson was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, on 18 September 1709. His father was a bookseller. He was educated at Lichfield Grammar School and spent a brief period at Oxford University, but was forced to leave (1) to lack of money. (2) to find teaching work, he drifted into a writing career. In 1735, he married Elizabeth Porter, a widow more than 20 years (3) .

In 1737, Johnson moved to London where he struggled to support himself (4) journalism, writing on a huge variety of subjects. He gradually (5) a literary reputation and in 1747 a syndicate of printers commissioned him (6) his ‘Dictionary of the English Language’. The task took eight years, and Johnson employed six assistants, all of them (7) in his house off Fleet Street.

The dictionary was published on 15 April 1755. It was not (8) dictionary, but was certainly the most important at that time. In Johnson’s lifetime five (9) editions were published, and a sixth (10) out when he died.

Johnson was continually (11) of money, despite the success of his dictionary. In 1762, his financial situation (12) when he was awarded a government pension.

In 1763, he met James Boswell, a young Scottish lawyer, whose ‘Life of Johnson’ (published in 1791) did much to spread Johnson’s name. In 1773, Johnson and Boswell set out on a (13) tour of the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides. Both wrote accounts of their (14) . Johnson spent considerable time in Edinburgh in the 1770s.

Johnson was by now the leader of the London literary world, and a friend of notable artists and writers such as Joshua Reynolds, Edmund Burke, Oliver Goldsmith and David Garrick. (15) important friendship for Johnson was with Henry Thrale, a wealthy brewer and member of parliament. Johnson became part of his family, treating their London houses as second homes.

Johnson died on 13 December 1784 and is buried at Westminster Abbey.